March 13, 2005

13R Rejoice, You Pure In Heart

Original Title: "Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart," Edward Hayes Pulmptre (1865), MARION, 6.6.8.6.4.6., Arthur Henry Messiter (1883); New Title: "Rejoice You Pure in Heart," rev. REH (2006), ICH HALTE TREULICH STILL, S.M.D., attributed to Bach (1736). The hymn does not appear in Singing the Living Tradition, but does appear in revised form as "Rejoice, You Pure in Heart," as no. 55 to MARION and as no. 71 to VINEYARD HAVEN in The New Century Hymnal. Pulmptre was a 19th century English Anglican. One hears Psalm 20 in lyrics about the "festal banner," the first line of Psalm 147 in the refrain, and Phillipians 4:4 in the title line and the refrain, "Rejoice . . . rejoice."ICH HALTE TREULICH STILL (S.M.D.)

2. With all the an-gel choirs,
with all the saints of earth,
pour out the strains of joy and bliss,
true rap-ture, nob-lest mirth. Refrain.
3. Your clear ho-san-nas raise;
And al-le-lu-ias loud;
While an-swer-ing ech-oes up-ward float,
like wreaths of incense cloud. Refrain.

4. With voice as full and strong
as o-cean’s surg-ing praise,
send forth the hymns an-ces-tors loved,
the psalms of an-cient days. Refrain.

5. At last the toil shall end,
the wear-ied ones shall rest,
the pil-grims find the ho-ly home,
where saints are tru-ly blest. Refrain.

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April 01, 2005

24R Peace Be To This Congregation

Original Title: "Peace Be To This Congregation," adapted from Charles Wesley, LOBT DEN HERRN, DIE MORGENSONNE, 8.7.8.7., from Naue's Choralbuch (1829); New Title: Same hymn title, rev. REH (2005), ST. MABYN, 8.7.8.7., Arthur H. Brown. Brown was a figure in the Oxford Movement, and led the way for the return of plainchant and Gregorian music in Anglican worship services in the late 19th century. The lyrics here echo Phillipians 4:7, Isaiah 48:18, 66:12. They do not appear in either The New Century Hymnal nor in Singing the Living Tradition.

1. Peace be to this con-gre-ga-tion!
Peace be to each heart there-in!
Peace, the earn-est of sal-va-tion;
peace, the fruit of for-given sin.
2. Peace, that speaks the heaven-ly giv-er;
peace, to world-ly minds un-known;
peace, so flow-ing as a riv-er
from th'e-ter-nal source a-lone.
3. O God of Sweet Peace be near us,
fix with-in our hearts your home;
With your bright ap-pear-ing cheer us,
in your bless-ed free-dom come.
4. Come with all your re-ve-la-tions,
truth which we so long have sought;
Come with your deep con-so-la-tions;
Peace of God which pass-es thought!

All materials may be reproduced for non-profit local and congregational use. We request notification of use, in addition to notification of any changes made when materials are used so we might benefit from the insight of others. Any materials used or reproduced in any way must bear the notation "(c) 2005 Richard E. Hurst, for non-profit local and congregational use only, all other rights reserved."

April 22, 2005

44R True Stewards, Earth

Original Title: "Thou, Earth, Art Ours, and Ours to Keep," Mary Howitt, GASTORIUS, 8.8.8.8.8., adapted from Severus Gastorius (1681); New Title: "True Stewards, Earth" rev. REH (2007), SUSSEX CAROL, 8.8.8.8.8.8., Traditional English melody, arranged by Ralph Vaughn Williams (1919). Mary Howitt was an English Quaker and poet, who wrote extensively on nature themes. Perhaps her best-known poem is "The Spider and the Fly." Here the lyrics clearly echo Genesis: "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good," Genesis 1:11-22; see also Genesis 1:29, Genesis 8:22, Genesis 27:28. In the Christian scriptures, seed and harvest are sometimes metaphors for the God's word, e.g., Luke 8:11, Matthew 13:3, 32, John 12:24, see also Luke 13:6-9 (the parable of the fig treet). That the earth is "ours" is echoed in the Psalms, e.g., Psalm 115:16; the likeness of "darkness and light" in Psalm 139:12; God gives grain/corn in Psalm 65:9. Trees and wind are mentioned specifically in Isaiah 7:2; the first and latter rain in Deuteronomy 11:14. The hymn appears in neither Singing the Living Tradition nor The New Century Hymnal.

1. True stew-ards, earth, we are for thee,
who in faith la-bor in thy reign;
the green-ing grass, the corn, the tree,
spring-time and har-vest come from thee,
the ear-ly and the lat-ter rain,
the ear-ly and the lat-ter rain.

2. O earth, the earth, thy sum-mer-time,
fresh with the dews, the sun-shine bright,
with gold-en clouds in eve-ning hours,
with sing-ing birds and fra-grant flowers,
crea-tures of beau-ty and de-light,
crea-tures of beau-ty and de-light.

3. Thou, earth, our earth, when light is dim,
and leaf-less stands the state-ly tree,
when from the north the fierce winds blow,
when fall-eth fast the mant-ling snow.
O earth, thou speak-est still to me,
O earth, thou speak-est still to me.

4. The earth is yours and mine, all life!
Ours is all worlds, all suns that shine,
sha-dow and light, and life and death,
what-e'er all space in-ha-bi-teth:
Life's im-age bears the true di-vine,
Life's im-age bears the true di-vine.

All materials may be reproduced for non-profit local and congregational use. We request notification of use, in addition to notification of any changes made when materials are used so we might benefit from the insight of others. Any materials used or reproduced in any way must bear the notation "(c) 2007 Richard E. Hurst, for non-profit local and congregational use only, all other rights reserved."

June 09, 2005

78R Who Fathoms the Eternal Thought

Original Title: "Who Fathoms the Eternal Thought," John Greenleaf Whittier; ST. BERNARD, C.M., Tochter Sion (1741). Psalm 46:10 (KJV), "Be still, and know that I am God;" Psalm 100:3, "Know ye that the Lord he is God;" see also Deuteronomy 4:35, 1 Kings 18:39, Ezekiel 34:30, Exodus 18:11. Isaiah 2:11, [T]he haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day;" see also 2 Corinthians 10:5. 1 Kings 19:12, "And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice;" 1 John 4:8-16 "God is Love." Psalm 78:41, "And still again they tried God, and set bounds to the Holy One of Israel;" see also Psalms 74:17, 148:6; Job 26:10, 38:10.

January 04, 2006

496R-502S All People That On Earth Do Dwell / Doxology

Old and New Titles: "All People That On Earth Do Dwell," William Kethe (1561), rev. REH (2006), OLD HUNDREDTH (L.M.), attributed to Louis Bourgeois, melody from Genevan Psalter (1551). OLD HUNDREDTH is commonly used for doxologies, and is so used in Hymns of the Spirit Two at nos. 496-502. Equivalents are found in Singing the Living Tradition at nos. 365, 370-381, and in The New Century Hymnal at nos. 7, 27, 776-782. While "All People That On Earth Do Dwell" appears in its old form (in B-flat) in Hymns of the Spirit Two, it appears in its modern form here, in F-sharp (the tune found in no. 497 in Hymns of the Spirit Two). Psalm 100, on which no. 496R is based, is the revised lectionary psalm for Proper 6A/Ordinary 11A/Pentecost 4A, Thanksgiving C and Christ the King/Reign of Christ A. Psalm 117 (see 498R below) is used as a lectionary psalm only by Roman Catholics, for Proper 16C/Ordinary 21C. The lyrics below, through no. 502S, may be used productively with many tunes set in L.M. (8.8.8.8.) meter.

All materials may be reproduced for non-profit local and congregational use. We request notification of use, in addition to notification of any changes made when materials are used so we might benefit from the insight of others. Any materials used or reproduced in any way must bear the notation "(c) 2007 Richard E. Hurst, for non-profit local and congregational use only, all other rights reserved."

All materials may be reproduced for non-profit local and congregational use. We request notification of use, in addition to notification of any changes made when materials are used so we might benefit from the insight of others. Any materials used or reproduced in any way must bear the notation "(c) 2006 Richard E. Hurst, for non-profit local and congregational use only, all other rights reserved."